Martin Creed Everything's Going to be Alright (Work No. 3531), 2022

So what do you do if you are Manuela and Iwan Wirth, heads of the global art empire Hauser & Wirth, and you and your husband happen to be two of the most successful and beloved gallerists on planet earth - ranked number one on ArtReview's 2015 list of 'most powerful and influential figures in the art world'? You create a wonderful life for yourselves and everyone in your midst, which includes having children and pets, getting honorary doctorates, endowing chairs and fellowships at Oxford, opening several arts complexes with philanthropic projects on different continents, acquiring a large farm in Southwest London, as well as a vineyard, along with restaurants, inns and a private club in London, sitting on the Board of Trustees of innumerable institutions, developing deep friendships and productive collaborations with artists, locals, clients, celebrities and intellectuals. Oh, and what else? Well, of course, you hire a senior member of British royalty (Princess Eugenie of York) as director of your London gallery, and you purchase and renovate an historic Victorian-era (1856) inn in the Scottish highlands near Braemar Castle - which dates back to 1628 - not far from her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II's famous castle at Balmoral. And you proceed to transform this Inn, called The Fife Arms, into a five star hotel, adding a luxury spa and tastefully decorating it with more than 12,000 works of world class art, including paintings done by Queen Victoria herself - an artist in her own right. And what happens after that? In January 2019, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall -- the future King and Queen Consort of England - attend the grand opening of the newly renovated hotel. Because, well, why not?
And then, thirteen months later, the Covid-19 pandemic hits the world, and The Fife Arms shuts down. However, later in 2020, as part of their reopening celebrations, the Wirth's unveiled a specially commissioned temporary neon installation, ‘Work No. 3435: EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT’ by one of their favorite artists, Turner Prize-winner Martin Creed. This colorful installation was situated on the grounds of nearby Braemar Castle.
(Martin Creed, who grew up in Glasgow, is particularly known in Scotland for the much-loved Scotsman Steps in Edinburgh, a public staircase joining two streets made with more than a hundred different types of marble. A work in blue neon, ‘Work No. 975: EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT’, has been on view since 2012 on the facade of the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. The phrase ‘Everything is going to be alright’ has been used by the artist in a series of large-scale neon works since 1999 and draws on the comforting words Creed was offered by a friend. He explains, “If you are upset and someone speaks to you to try to help you, even if the words are empty because no one knows what is going to happen in the future, it can still feel like a comfort. No-one can really tell you everything is going to be alright, but despite that, many times in my life I have been very comforted by people saying something like that to me.”)

And all this brings us back to the present work, a limited edition 2022 color giclee print, pencil signed and numbered by Martin Creed, which memorializes Creed's pandemic-era temporary light installation with the neon words Everything is Going to Be Alright, against the backdrop of Braemar Castle at nightfall. This edition was originally sold by Hauser & Wirth via the Fife Arms to raise funds to restore Braemar Castle - and it quickly sold out. It's a poignant message that continues to resonate, perhaps now more than ever - and it would look beautiful in any home or office. It is unframed, and held in a bespoke archival box, so it also makes an exquisite gift.

But the question remains: Should we really believe Martin Creed's message? The answer is a resounding Yes. Coming from some of the most successful people on earth (Martin Creed and Manuela and Iwan Wirth) and carrying the magical energy and history of Braemar Castle, the odds are looking pretty good that everything is indeed going to be alright. Who wouldn't want a symbol of all that luck, talent and good fortune?

By the way, just for fun (because why not?) keep scrolling to view a 2019 photograph of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla (then officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland) attending the opening of The Fife Arms, with Manuela and Iwan Wirth standing next to them on the left - all in Highland dress.